Eva Diaz stumbled into work far too early for her liking. As much as the increase in pay and closer interactions with the animals made her enjoy her work, she wasn't sure she would ever adjust to waking up so early. Locking up her bike she scrambled inside still trying to wipe the sleep from her eyes.
“You’re late,” Deaven snorted when she emerged from the changing room in her wetsuit, her wavy long brown hair tied in a tight ponytail.
“Oh hush,” she replied, holding up a finger as she downed the rest of her coffee.
“Technically as your boss, it is my job to ensure you get here on time,” he said with a laugh. Deaven was a tall Hispanic man in his mid-30s, as the head trainer he was the face for most performances and educational shows. He was also a morning person, bastard.
“Feel free to pick me up then,” she groaned. Not even seven o’clock and her legs were tired from the bike ride.
Deaven just shook his head. “Well, since you’re in such a good mood this morning you can start by feeding the dolphins.”
For anyone new to the job that would have been at least a bit of a punishment but Eva had long since stopped caring about constantly smelling like fish. Still, the digging through tubs of fish was still kinda gross. Knowing the routine she headed for the dolphin stadium.
Ocean Land was far too stimulating this early in the morning as staff hurriedly got the park ready to open. She jogged down the concrete pavement through the maze of buildings and vegetation all brightly coloured. She cared little for the theme park section of Ocean Land, her focus was always on the marine zoological park, even before she worked there.
As far as jobs she had worked went, this was a dream come true. She knew how terrible parks like Ocean Land could be, it had been a decade since everyone was made aware through media and television. Still, it was one of the few ways she could work with marine mammals until she graduated and was able to move to more academic work.
She slipped into a plain-looking building by the dolphin enclosure, the building almost faded into the background against the park around it. She scanned her card and entered the fish kitchen, the smell of salt and fish enveloped her.
“Eva!” Felisha cheered as they tossed several small fish into a bucket. They were short with dark skin and a buzz cut. They wore a nose ring and always seemed to vibrate with overwhelming energy.
“Hey,” Eva smiled, grabbing a bucket and beginning to sort through the fish as well. Eva and Felisha had met at university and became fast friends despite their disagreeing preferences for fish and cetaceans. She had helped them get a job at the aquarium here this year and they seemed to enjoy it.
While Deaven was a morning person, Felisha just never seemed to get tired. In fact, in the last three years, she had known them she wasn't sure they had even yawned. Eva didn't know how that was possible, when she had been 21 a year ago she did not have that amount of energy.
“Mike’s beat you there,” Falicia said.
“Of course he has. Are we still on for lunch?”
“Totally,” they replied, hoisting up a bucket of fish and heading out with a wave.
Eva focused on her work, sorting and checking each mackerel, smelt, capelin, and herring before tossing it into the bucket and ensuring she got the right ratio. She grabbed their vitamins and supplements before hoisting up the cooler and heading out the door to the dolphin stadium.
She could see Mike already out there tossing a fish to one of the bottlenose dolphins. The dolphin swallowed the fish before floating on its back, letting Mike pet its stomach. Another dolphin chirped with shrill clicks and whistles as she approached. They knew she had food.
“Morning,” Mike said through a yawn as he unsuccessfully tried to wipe off some of the fish goo from his hands. He was older than her but still young enough to be a surfer dude. He had long blond hair and a lucky earring, he could not have fit the stereotype more if he had tried. Still, he was quite likable and Eva enjoyed working with him.
The dolphins loudly reminded her that they hadn't yet been fed and she hoisted up the cooler. There were dozens of dolphins in Ocean Land San Diego, far too many for Mike and her to handle themselves, so the dolphins were divided into three tanks, the stadium, the nursery and the cove, and there were other staff who cared for them.
This tale has been unlawfully lifted from Royal Road. If you spot it on Amazon, please report it.
Mike signalled to one of the dolphins, Blue. She hopped up off the water, resting her chin on the deck as he tossed her a fish. Eva couldn't help but smile as she watched these animals. They were like puppies but in the water. She tossed a fish to another dolphin before sitting down to put her feet in the pool.
Mars swam over to her, a bottlenose, and looked at her expectantly. She motioned for him to open his mouth and had him swallow his supplements. She then raised her hand above him and had him follow it, leaning and twisting as she motioned for him to do.
“Shit,” she muttered, noticing a small gash above his pectoral fin. She motioned to Mike to come look as she began to feed Mars who was getting quite impatient. Mike peered at the injury as she tossed Mars a mackerel. He grabbed a clipboard off the wall and began to write, documenting the injury.
“I’ll let the Doc know, it doesn't look too serious. Probably just from a scrap,” he said.
“You poor thing,” Eva cooed, petting Mars on his blubbery head. He really did have the feeling of a boiled egg but the sensation had grown on her. “You think he'll need stitches?” she asked Mike.
“Nah, it should heal on its own,” he replied.
Mars trilled happily, unconcerned with their conversation. Eva winced, if only they could teach them volume control. It was too early for a headache.
----------------------------------------
“Anyways, Steve is doing much better now,” Falicia said stabbing at their salad.
“I can't believe you named the starfish Steve,” Eva snorted.
“No one else was going to name him,” they shrugged. “Enough about me how are things with your uncle?”
Eva shifted, “fine.”
“Girl, your uncle is the head scientist at this place. Can’t you just bond over dolphins or something?”
“He works in the restricted section, I never have the chance to see him. And it's not like he comes around after work.”
“You have his number, just ask him to have lunch or something,” Felisha urged.
“I know, okay? I know. I just… I don’t want things to be like with Dad,” she sighed.
“Eva, he's not your dad. He wants to be part of your life, that's why he reached out.”
“Like pulling strings to get me this job,” she groaned.
“So what? Sure, it's weird you got the job with only a year of experience but maybe… okay yeah, there's definitely some nepotism but you do need the money,” Felisha snorted.
“Thanks,” Eva replied sarcastically.
“Just have lunch or something, this weird awkward dance the two of you are doing is exhausting.”
“I’ll try.”
“Do. or do not. There is no try,” Felisha grinned. “The universe clearly wants this for you and he's loaded and probably feels guilty about his shitty brother.”
“Oh god, Falsha,” Eva laughed. “Don't start.”
“You got this,” they reiterated as they checked their watch and shovelled the last of their salad into their mouth. “I gotta get back to Steve. Text him, Eva.”
“Yeah yeah, I will,” she replied as their friend went back to work. She pulled out her phone and stared at the contact. Phillip had been around occasionally when she had been little, making sure they had enough money for groceries though most of it had gone towards booze. Running into him at Ocean Land last year had been a total coincidence.
She opened his contact that he had given her for emergencies. It wasn't weird to have lunch with your uncle, especially when you worked in the same place. She sighed with frustration, not knowing where to start.
She finished her lunch and stood, tucking her phone back into her pocket as she headed for her favourite place in the park for the rest of her break. She hurried through the park, dodging the people who bustled around her. She was glad to be out of her wetsuit now considering the heat. Shorts and a T-shirt were much more bearable when she wasn't in the water.
The orca stadium was the largest attraction in Ocean Land, mostly because the orcas themselves were so big. She leaned against the railing, Orchid, one of the larger males was swimming in circles around the pool.
She loved the dolphins, she really did but it was the orca that fascinated her. Their strong family ties and intelligence combined with their power and skill. She loved to simply watch them though always felt bad about their lives.
California banned the breeding of orcas and using them in performances, while that meant more orcas wouldn't be put in parks like this it also meant that the orca that remained had little to do. It was kinda depressing. They were in no condition to be released into the wild and previous attempts to do had had only some success.
She relished whenever she got the chance to work with the orca, though that was usually given to the more experienced employees. They were majestic and she enjoyed doing what she could to improve their lives.
Orchid jumped out of the water before grabbing a large ball and pulling it around the pool. He was bored and not in the best of shape. His dorsal fin had collapsed which was unfortunately standard for captive orcas.
Eva felt conflicted. If she had been a trainer a decade ago she could have swam with him, closely interacted with him in a way that wasn't allowed now. A few deaths due to mistreated captive orca had changed things. But she wasn't sure things had really been changed for the better, not for the orca still in captivity.
She knew it was better for them to be free and in the wild yet she relished the opportunity to easily observe and watch them.
Her attention shifted to past the orca stadium, where only a short distance away was the ocean itself. The spot she was at also gave her a decent view of the restricted research facility where Phillip worked. It seemed to climb out of the ocean itself and was only attached to the park by a single guarded bridge. Not for the first time she wondered what the hell they could possibly be hiding there. This was a marine park after all, not some secret government facility.
She looked back to Orchid who was now chewing on a barrel that she knew weighed at least 300lbs. Orcas could be terrifying when they wanted to. She pulled out her phone, staring at that contact again. Finally, she sent a message.
“Hey. I was thinking we should meet for lunch this week.”
Immediately after sending it, she wasn't happy with the text. It didn't have to be this week. Would he know it was her? What if he didn't want to get lunch? She could have phrased it differently, she didn't want it to seem like she wanted something from him.
She groaned as her phone chimed, telling her it was time to go back to work. She waited a minute, staring at her phone and waiting for some kind of response. There was none. Nerves now rolling in her gut she put her phone away and left. She should have waited until the day was over, now she wouldn't be able to focus on anything else.